I'm going to have this done in a couple weeks and was looking for some feedback from others who may have had this done, and to also make anyone who has not heard of this aware of it.

I've been struggling with tendinitis for over two years now. It's in my elbow, both inner and outer. I'm going to try the outer first, see how that goes over the next few months, then do the inner if it works. The shots are about $1500 each and insurance is not really on board with it yet. So yours may cover it, or not. Mine does not....bummer.

I stumbled onto this from a local DR who has been conducting a clinical study on this process. The study was completed last spring and it has FDA approval.

In short, blood is drawn from you, put onto a centrifuge to separate the Platelets and white blood cells from the red blood cells. The affected area is then injected with your own blood. The theory is to give the injury a super concentrated does of you bloods own healing properties. The doctor I'm going to has had great results. They can treat tendinitis, muscle tears, achilles, planters fasciitis, cartilage repair (like knees) and who knows what else.

It's pretty interesting stuff and worth consideration for those of you who may have need of something like this this. It may be another option than going under the knife. Just Google PRP if interested.

Good luck, Mike. The older I get, the less convinced I am that scientists already know everything there is to be known; this concept particularly affects modern western medicine to the exclusion of other therapies. I hope that you get some relief, and that you will feel comfortable sharing the results.

That's a side to the story I had not heard before Cam. Thanks for sharing. Disappointing, but another data point to consider. Unfortunately, I've had this for over two years and the normal non surgical things have not helped. I actually found out about when getting a second opinion before going under the knife. Tom I'll definitely relay the results afterwards. If it does work, I want others to know it does. Tendinitis sucks big time. I can't put my seat belt on or shake hands. Can't even pick up a book without pain. And this is something that just working through the pain to recovery only makes it worse (as I did that).

Soory to hear about your condition, Mike. I know how debilitating constant pain can be (rheumatoid arthritis - currently, seeminly in remission, thank heaven). Hope you find something, anything, that works for you.

I did read a post by someone that also has tendonitis, and the one caveat not mentioned by their doctor beforehand, is that it's an extremely painful injection. They continued to say that if/or when they are going to get another treatment, they're definitely talking pain killers ahead of time.

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Thanks Jack. I'm paying for the sins of my youth I suppose. Never thought I'd live this long.

Ya I've been warned that it's a painful process Cam. They inject the area, not just one single shot. The theory is to get the plasma inside the damaged area to stimulate growth. In a sense, the tendon is dead and this stimulates new growth. The other method (surgery) consists of separating the tendon fibers with a scalpel, or cutting out the dead part and re-attaching it.

My only input is as a former regular plasma donor. While I'm sure your procedure is slightly different, there may be similarities in the tech. I didn't read any links so I am only commenting on what i know about plasma donation.

While not wanting to scare any potential donors as the risk is small, there is a danger inherent to the process due to the anti-coagulant. Basically, a donation consists of the following. You get hooked into a machine with a needle MUCH larger than that used for blood donation. The machine is fully automated and it withdraws a portion of blood and puts it into a centrifuge. The blood is spun to separate the red blood cells from the plasma. The plasma is retained and the process is reversed and the red blood cells are injected back into the body with a certain amount of anti-coagulant as the pure red blood cells require it now that the plasma is gone.

The very small but present danger is if the anti-coagulant mixture goes wrong for whatever reason, too much can put you into a seizure. The phlebotomists are highly trained to monitor the machine and watch for the symptoms but if not caught early, it can result in death.

Again, the risk is very small but it happens on occasion. I witnessed a seizure during one of my donations and the staff caught it quickly but did not catch it before he went into seizure as I can attest that he did not display the early symptoms as per normal. He went from a hearty normal conversation to a complete seizure in a few seconds. He was fine once they treated him on sight.

I'm sure the donation process differs greatly for your procedure but their may be similarities to be discussed with your doctor. I went back to blood donations because I have O-Neg. blood and therefore a more valuable use of draining my body. However, I would still recommend plasma donation as a much needed way to save lives. Just always important to be educated of the risks, however small.

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With great power comes Awesome irresponsibility.

I will be waiting to hear about your results should you decide to continue on this path.

I too have been dealing with tendonitis in my elbows for years, at one time I tried deep massage therapy which worked some magic for me. This brought me into a pain threshold which I never knew existed, but after a few weeks of twice weekly hell, my arms came back to life. I think I might have to try it again as I too am preently dealing with a bad bout of it once again, I can't even bend it enough to scratch the side of my head some days.